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Traditional-style neighborhood development entering third phase

John A. Bowersmith

What is now a pile of dirt will become a lot with a house on it in four months when Vintage Township begins construction on its third phase of development.(John A. Bowersmith/Lubbock Avalanche-Journal)

Sales traffic got off to another good start in 2010 at Vintage Township, the "what was once old is new again" development that will eventually cover 320 acres on Lubbock's rapidly growing south side.

"In 2009, we doubled the sales we made in 2008, and sold twice as many houses in 2008 as we did in 2007," said Paul Stell of Stellar Development, the firm that's behind the new project. "We know we can't keep that pace up, but we're a couple of houses ahead of last year."

The project, based on a planning concept called "Traditional Neighborhood Development," is about to launch its third phase of bungalows, cottages, townhomes and what are known as "mansion condos."

And, Stell said, Vintage Township will have nine homes in the West Texas Home Builders Association 2011 Parade of Homes.

The project concept is drawn from the New Urbanism design movement, which revives pre-World War II community development concepts from a time when cars weren't as plentiful, and urban areas were laid out so residents had jobs, markets and other resources within walking distances of their homes.

Stell explained designers came up with the concept nationally by visiting older communities and re-examining planning methods and architectural styles.

For example, homes in Vintage Township are set closer to the streets than they are in other parts of Lubbock, which sales manager Tana Patterson said helps develop the connection among neighbors as conversations start from front porches and while people are walking around the neighborhood.

The houses are designed with garages at the rear and entry from alleys that run behind the homes.

While some lots are large enough to even accommodate backyard pools, the design of each phase has included activity lawns, and a central-themed garden for each.

The first phase included an English town green, while the second featured a French-style town green. Phase three will have an Italian themed garden.

Homes available in the third phase will range in size from 900 square feet to more than 5,000 square feet, and some units as small as one bedroom.

As the community has developed, Stell said, its unique designs - very different from the ranch-style construction prevalent in much of Lubbock - has prompted a lot of curiosity, and some interesting rumors.

He said one rumor that started early in the development's history was that no one-story houses are allowed.

From the street, the designs would give a visitor that impression. However, Stell's designers use dormer windows that suggest a second story to simply bring natural light into a living room with a vaulted ceiling.

The half-square-mile project, which lies south of 114th Street between Quaker Avenue and Slide Road, is built around a "town square," and is slated to have town centers at the two major traffic corners designed with older downtown mixed-use styles - ground floor retailing and space on upper floors for offices and apartments.

For now, much of the activity centers around the town square, where Stell's company, Stellar Development, has its sales office.

It's the only three-story building in the neighborhood. The community's residents pick up their mail in postal boxes there, and some residents have leased the office space on the upper floors.

Across the street at Trafalgar Avenue is the town's meeting hall, which can be configured for anything from catered meals to town meetings for neighborhood association business.

The project doesn't have a particular target demographic, said design director Robin Hall, because the goal is to have a community that reflects all stages of life.

Families make up about 44 percent of the homeowners in the community, while 34 percent of the buyers are empty-nesters. Some 13 percent are seniors and about 9 percent are young professionals.